In article , "Doug Kanter"
wrote:
"paghat" wrote in message
news
In article , "Doug Kanter"
wrote:
20 years ago, I worked for two weeks removing grass from a new garden
using
a fork and a number of custom-made implements of sifting and
destruction. I
just had a 30x30 area tilled, and this time, I'm ready to try another
way of
killing the grass that's mixed into the soil. The guy who tilled it did
a
great job. He ran the tiller in various orientations until the sod was
very
nicely chopped up. But, you KNOW some of it'll be back in April when I
want
to plant lettuce.
So: I've seen a number of people mention spreading newspaper. Sheets of
plastic are easy, but the newspaper idea is fascinating. But, how's it
kept
in place? Just toss soil on top of it? We're talking a lot of newspaper
here - I'd need lots of bricks. :-) I realize this is an unbelievably
simplistic question, but I have limited time this weekend. No time for
experiments, and I'd rather not use plastic if I don't have to.
You can cover the layers of newspaper in a thin top-coating of completely
composted manure. This has the physical appearance of topsoil, but is
sterile so it will not encourage seedlings. Because composted steer manure
is nearly black, it also heats up the ground so that even seeds that might
otherwise wait several months to germinate will be cooked to death.
If the paper is not completely covered, any that is exposed to the air
will dry out swiftly so that worms won't be eating it over time, but when
underneath a layer of dampened inexpensive steer manure compost, the worms
turn even the layers of newspaper (or cardboard) into nutrients in as
little as three months, & nothing that was smothered & heated underneath
it will return.
Also, if there are shrubs or tree saplings you would want to plant in the
area right away, there's no reason not to cut a hole through the
smothering paper & plant a couple big things right away.
-paghat the ratgirl
Does gender matter? In 20 years, I've never seen steer manure offered around
here. But, there's plenty of bagged, composted cow manure. And, if it was
earlier in the year, I could've gotten plenty of horse manure (from the
mounted police stables) and composted it.
I'm assuming it has to be composted because the worms will turn their noses
up at it otherwise. Is that correct?
I saw a table once that broke it down into which is best for the rather
small nitrogen component. If memory hasn't failed me, in order of
percentages it was dairy cow, then feedlot steer, then chicken (even
though chicken manure compost three times as much, & less likely to have
unwanted salts in it); but they all have the same capacity to induce the
soil's microorganisms to produce nitrogen & when used as a topcoating it
for the texture & appearance; a top mulch of straw or woochips is to me
very ugly, but black crumbling compost looks like a rich forest loam. My
recollection is that horse manure had the highest nitrogen count of all,
but that's not available as a commercial product round here. I've gotten
free llama poo form time to time, but not to use as a topcoating because
it's still just pellets of shit when I get it.
In my county, steer manure is a standard product & by far the cheapest
compost to buy, so I use it as a surface mulch, but I use a much more
expensive organic compost (plus my home-made stuff) when mixing compost
into soil. Chicken or dairy cow manure compost would be as good as a
surface mulch, but it would cost more. The reason I don't use my own
home-made compost for a surface mulch is because it is never as crumbly &
easy to spread thinly as commercially prepared steer manure.
-paghat the ratgirl
--
"Of what are you afraid, my child?" inquired the kindly teacher.
"Oh, sir! The flowers, they are wild," replied the timid creature.
-from Peter Newell's "Wild Flowers"
Visit the Garden of Paghat the Ratgirl:
http://www.paghat.com